Veteran horticulturist Sreekant Surajmal Mehta was conferred with an INA Excellency Award at the Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian Nurserymen Association (INA) that was held at Chennai on September 23, 2018. The award recognised his contribution in the nursery field. A few weeks later, on October 27, he was also honoured for his work in the field of Arid Horticulutre with the “Udhyan Shri Award - 2018”  by the Indian Society for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner (Rajasthan).
 

Mehta is the son of Late Surajmal Bhaichand Mehta and manages a Nursery for plants called "The Nursery" at Salem and at Yercaud in Tamil Nadu along with managing Coffee Estates at Yercaud for over three decades. His nursery has been recognized across India by various Horticultural Departments of the central and state governments, as well as several Universities, as an approved source of fruits and other plants, specialising in obtaining new varieties, multiplying and quickly making them available to farmers.

Mehta is credited with having popularised commercial cultivation of Arid Zone fruits like Tamarind, Amla, Bael, Cordia, etc. over South India. He has been Director of National Horticulture Board up to 2010 and has received a number of awards in this and related fields.